Podcasts: Listen and Learn

Posted by Annette Bellisari on

Podcasts have been around for some time now, but until recently, I might have listened to something someone recommended, but I wouldn’t say podcasts were a part of my daily life. Now, I have started listening to podcasts more often, and I have realized how much I enjoy them. There is so much out there to learn about! Podcasts offer a vast amount of topics, and for the most part, they’re free. There truly is something out there for everyone. Podcasts can benefit us in so many ways.

Podcasts are great to listen to when you have free time. I enjoy listening to them in the morning while I’m getting ready, in the car on my way to work, or while I’m exercising. As a woman who is a busy mom with a business to run, it’s very appealing to me to be able to multitask. Unlike watching TV or reading, you can listen to podcasts while you’re doing other things. 

Many studies have been done on the benefits of podcasts and what they do for people mentally. One study proves that podcasts stimulate mental imagery more intensely than watching or reading. Since people listen to podcasts instead of watching them, it forces listeners to use their imaginations and build the pictures in their minds. Thus, people who listen to podcasts regularly have a stronger and more vivid imagination.

Podcasts also help us become better listeners. Since they are all about listening, they help us have a greater appreciation for simply listening. Podcasts allow us to become a part of what we’re listening to and trigger us to listen carefully and use our imaginations to form pictures of the story we’re hearing. In addition, podcasts stimulate different parts of the brain, forcing us to actively listen, especially since it’s a topic we’re truly interested in.

Another great benefit of listening to podcasts is that you can learn new things. That is such an obvious, simple idea, but it is absolutely worth mentioning! Podcasts come in a variety of lengths, so it’s easy to listen to an episode even if you only have 30 minutes. Also, if you don’t finish listening in one sitting, they’re always at your disposal on your phone, computer, or tablet to pick back up. They are a great use of time; they allow you to become more involved and educated in areas that spark your interest.

These 5 great foodie podcasts are perfect for those interested in learning about where the food that we eat comes from, how to prepare different foods, and how to serve and eat those foods.

  1. BBC's The Food Programme with Sheila Dillon & Dan Saladino -- Investigating every aspect of the food we eat, It is a program about food production, consumption, and quality rather than a cookery show with recipes. It looks at the food industry (usually that of Britain) at the macroscopic level. 
  2. Dinner Sisters -- On this weekly podcast, they try three new recipes from popular food blogs and websites to cook a little better, learn a little bit about food, and most importantly figure out what the heck to have for dinner!
  3. Pantry Raid -- Pantry Raid is a podcast about how to make more food and less waste one ingredient at a time and often without a strict recipe. Most episodes are about a single ingredient- why it works in certain dishes, warnings about how not to use it, and ideas for how to cook with it alongside other ingredients you like and feel comfortable using. 
  4. Spilled Milk -- Every week on Spilled Milk, writers/comedians Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton start with a food-related topic, from apples to winter squash, and run with it as far as they can go—and (according to them) regrettably, sometimes further.
  5. The Sporkful -- Since launching in 2010, The Sporkful has won the James Beard Award, Webby Award, and Saveur Award for Best Food Podcast. Each week on the show, they use humor and humanity to approach food from many angles, including science, history, race, culture, economics, and lengthy debates on the best way to layer peanut butter and jelly in a sandwich. They like to say it's not for foodies, it's for eaters.

Whether you want to learn a new skill, keep up with the news, handle your finances better, need a pep talk, or are just looking for ideas for dinner, there is a podcast out there for you. It’s truly amazing to have these resources at our fingertips for absolutely no cost. I suggest trying one of the podcasts above; I’m confident that you will like a few, if not all of them. If not, find something else you’re interested in, and if you’re not already doing it, try listening to a podcast today!

Bread Wreath


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